PRIVACY POLICY
Privacy Statement
Matthew James Removals & Storage SL is a company registered in Spain , with depots at:
- Avenida 9, Polígono Industrial No 6 (Fase II), Alhaurín de la Torre, 29130 Málaga, Spain
- C/Anselm Clavé S/N, Pol. 16, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, 08980 Barcelona, Spain
- C/Soladores 6, Velilla de San Antonio, 28891 Madrid, Spain
We make it an absolute priority to maintain the security of your data and your right to privacy at Matthew James Removals & Storage SL.
We will always handle your personal data lawfully and fairly, and we will be completely transparent about what data we collect and what we do with it.
This policy tells you:
- what personal data we collect;
- how we use your personal data;
- how we ensure your privacy is maintained;
- how your data may move between Spain and the UK as part of your removal; and
- your legal rights over your personal data.
The personal data we collect
Matthew James Removals & Storage SL may collect the following information about you:
- name, age, date of birth and gender;
- contact details: billing, home and delivery addresses, telephone numbers (including mobile numbers) and email address(es);
- your online activity on our website;
- password (if applicable);
- payment card details when you book a removal or storage service with us;
- communication and marketing preferences;
- your location;
- details of the removal or storage service you have booked, including your inventory of belongings;
- identity and customs documentation — passport or national ID copies, proof of residency, and any documents needed for UK Transfer of Residence (ToR1) relief or Spanish customs clearance;
- your correspondence and communications with us; and
- other publicly available personal data, including anything you’ve shared via a public platform (such as X/Twitter or Facebook).
This list isn’t exhaustive, and in specific instances we may need to collect additional data for the purposes set out in this policy. Some personal data is collected directly — for example, when you email our sales team or submit a quote form. Other data is collected indirectly, such as your browsing activity on our website. We may also collect personal data from third parties who have your consent to pass details to us.
Given the nature of international removals, we specifically collect identity and customs documents (passport copies, proof of address, signed inventories) to prepare UK customs declarations and Transfer of Residence relief applications on your behalf. This is a legal necessity for cross-border moves, not optional data collection — without it, we cannot complete UK customs clearance for your shipment.
Our website is not intended for use by children, and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children via our website.
How we use your data
Matthew James Removals & Storage SL (and trusted partners acting on our behalf) uses your personal data:
- to provide our removal, storage, and packing services to you;
- to prepare and submit customs documentation, including UK Transfer of Residence (ToR1) applications, on your behalf;
- to manage any account(s) you hold with us;
- to verify your identity;
- for crime and fraud prevention, detection, and related purposes;
- for market research purposes, to better understand customer needs;
- to manage customer service interactions with you; and
- where we have a legal right or duty to use or disclose your information (for example, in response to a customs authority, a public authority investigation, or a legal dispute).
Sharing data with third parties
Our service providers and suppliers
To deliver our services, we may need to share your personal data with service partners, including IT and website providers, accountants, and — where relevant to your move — customs agents and brokers in Spain and the UK.
Matthew James Removals & Storage SL only allows its service providers to handle your personal data once we’ve confirmed they apply appropriate data protection and security controls. We impose contractual obligations on service providers relating to data protection and security, meaning they can only use your data to provide services to Matthew James Removals & Storage SL and to you, for no other purpose.
Our UK sister company
If your move involves the UK — for example, a removal from Spain to the UK, or the reverse — we share the relevant parts of your personal data (such as your inventory, contact details, and customs documentation) with Matthew James Removals & Storage Limited, our associated UK company (company registration 04356608, registered in England and Wales), so that your move can be coordinated and delivered on both sides of the border. This sharing is necessary to perform the contract for your removal service.
Other third parties
Aside from the above, Matthew James Removals & Storage SL will not disclose your personal data to any third party except as set out in this policy. We will never sell or rent your data to other organisations for marketing purposes.
Customs and government authorities
Where required, we share the personal and customs documentation you provide with Spanish customs authorities, UK Border Force, and HMRC, solely for the purpose of clearing your shipment through customs and applying for any duty relief (such as ToR1) you’re entitled to.
International transfers
Because we operate between Spain (EU/EEA) and the UK, your personal data will often need to move between the two.
Since the UK left the EU, transfers of personal data from Spain (EU) to the UK are treated as international transfers under GDPR. The European Commission has issued an adequacy decision for the UK, meaning transfers to UK organisations — including our own UK sister company — are recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection, without requiring additional safeguards on our part.
For any transfers to service providers outside the EEA and the UK, we ensure the transfer complies with data protection law, typically through the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), and that all personal data remains secure throughout.
How long we keep your data
We do not retain your data for longer than necessary for the purposes set out in this policy. Different retention periods apply to different types of data; the longest we will normally hold any personal data is 7 years, in line with our accounting and legal obligations. Customs and identity documents connected to a specific move are retained only as long as needed to complete that move and meet any related legal or tax record-keeping requirement.
How we protect your data
Matthew James Removals & Storage SL is committed to keeping your personal data safe and secure. Our security measures include:
- encryption of data;
- security assessments of all service providers who may handle your personal data;
- security controls protecting our entire IT infrastructure from external attack and unauthorised access; and
- internal policies and staff training on our data security approach.
Legal basis for using your data
Matthew James Removals & Storage SL collects and uses personal data because it is necessary for:
- our legitimate interests;
- performing our contract with you for removal, storage, or related services, including preparing customs documentation on your behalf;
- complying with our legal obligations, including customs and tax law in Spain and the UK; or
- your consent, where consent is the basis we’ve relied on (for example, for marketing communications).
You have the right to withdraw consent at any time. Where consent is the only legal basis for a particular use of your data, we will stop that processing once consent is withdrawn.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. They’re widely used to make websites work, work more efficiently, or to give site owners information about how their site is used.
For full details of the cookies used on this site and how to manage your preferences, see our [Cookie Policy — LINK TO COOKIE POLICY PAGE].
You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Visit www.aboutcookies.org for general guidance, or your browser developer’s website for browser-specific instructions. To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites, visit tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Your rights
Under GDPR, you have the right to:
- ask what personal data we hold about you (right of access);
- ask us to correct out-of-date or incorrect personal data free of charge (right to rectification);
- ask us to erase your personal data in certain circumstances (right to erasure);
- ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances (right to restriction);
- receive a copy of your data in a portable format (right to data portability);
- object to certain uses of your data, including direct marketing (right to object); and
- opt out of marketing communications at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below.
Contact information
If you have questions about how Matthew James Removals & Storage SL uses your personal data, or want to exercise your rights, contact us at info-spain@mjr.global.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with:
- The Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD), Spain’s data protection authority — further information at www.aepd.es, or
- The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK, if your complaint relates to how your data was handled by our UK sister company — further information at ico.org.uk.
